At the suggestion of another boat owner in his marina, a client from Mechanicsville recently visited Extreme Audio in search of a sound system upgrade for his Rinker Captiva 232. This new client wanted to improve the sound of his existing audio system with a subwoofer and add rear-facing speakers so they can listen to music while swimming. After inspecting the existing audio equipment, we designed a simple and elegant upgrade that includes new speakers, a subwoofer, a four-channel amplifier and a multi-zone preamp. The client liked the plan and gave us the go-ahead to begin the installation.
Marine Subwoofer and Amplifier
The project started with the construction of a mounting panel for the new JL Audio MX500/4 amp that would power the subwoofer and the new rear speakers. We used a sheet of composite plastic to mount the amp, a fused power block, a ground block and a barrier strip for all the speaker connections. Unlike the wood that some shops use, this plastic panel will never swell because of water exposure or humidity. The panel is mounted with stainless steel hardware to ensure nothing will ever corrode. The amp panel is located up under the helm of the boat.
Rinker Captiva Subwoofer System
Next on the list was to install a new 10-inch JL Audio subwoofer in the boat. Our team mounted the sub near the walkway to the swim platform at the back of the boat. This JL Audio MX10IB3-SG-WH subwoofer is designed to work without a dedicated enclosure to provide deep clear bass with excellent power handling. We bridged two channels of the MX500/4 amplifier to deliver up to 250 watts of power to the new subwoofer.
Dedicated Rear Marine Speakers
With the sub in place, the team members turned their attention to the swim platform on the rear of the boat. They cut mounting holes for a pair of JL Audio MX650-CCX-CG-WH marine-grade coaxial 6.5-inch speakers. The rear speakers are powered with up to 70 watts each from the remaining channels of the JL Audio amplifier.
Multi-Zone Marine Preamp
The last step was to wire the Wet Sounds WS-420SQ preamp into the system. The existing stereo in the boat has front and rear speakers in the cockpit, and with the addition of the aft speakers on the swim platform and the system subwoofer, the client wanted a simple way to control it all. The preamp allows the client to adjust the relative volume level of the front and rear zones, control the subwoofer level and fine-tune the sound of the system with a pair of four-band equalizers, right from the helm of the boat.
With everything installed, the final step was to set the sensitivity controls and crossover on the new amp and fine-tune the levels on the preamp to ensure the system will sound amazing while being easy to operate. With the marine audio system upgrades complete, it was time for the client to return to Extreme Audio to check out the upgrades.
Richmond’s Marine Audio Upgrade Experts
When the client arrived at our Mechanicsville store, we gave him a tour of the boat, showing how we had installed everything and discussing the location of the fuses for the system, should he ever need to service any part of the installation. Next, we cued up some of his favorite music and cranked the system up. He loved how much better the stereo sounds with the inclusion of a subwoofer. Lastly, we showed him how to use the Wet Sounds preamp to adjust which speakers are playing and how the included microphone could be used to communicate with someone swimming or tubing behind the boat.
The client was thrilled with our craftsmanship and attention to detail. If you are in the Richmond, Virginia, area and are interested in enhancing the performance of your boat’s sound system, drop by our store in Mechanicsville or Midlothian and speak to a member of our award-winning team. They’d be happy to work with you to design an upgrade that will look and sound amazing. For more information or to schedule a personal consultation, give our store nearest to you a call or send us an e-mail using our online contact form. A member of our team will reply as quickly as possible.
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